Member Reviews

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  2 of 2 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 5 stars

  “Wickedness, evil, pain and suffering all unflichingly examined and the answer is so shockingly simple, yet profound: without free will there is no such thing as real love. God gives us free will and with it, due to our nature, we choose our own pursuits and face the consequences therein of a fallen, hurting world. The problem with pain, evil and sin but also the beauty of free grace and love extended is not better addressed anywhere else, imho.”

  michael - wrote this review Saturday, January 26 2008. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 5 stars

  “Here's a quote from the book that sets up the dilemma Lewis spends the bulk of the work dealing with:
  
  "If God were good, He would wish to make His creatures perfectly happy, and if God were almighty, He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both." This is the problem of pain, in its simplest form.
  
  This question (in theological terms called theodicy), once the province of philosophers, has in modern times become a common challenge to even casual investigators of issues of faith as Western civilization has grown contemptuous of its Christian origins. Lewis wonderfully meets the challenge with unassailable logic, yet with perfectly clear language for the layman. This is perhaps my favorite of his works of apologetics.”

  Don M wrote this review Tuesday, November 27 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 5 stars

  “I love C.S. Lewis and I think this was probably my favorite of his that I've read so far!”

  EEP54 wrote this review Thursday, August 16 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 5 stars

  “According to the Author, Lewis took up the daunting task of trying to understand why pain exists if a good God exists too on a suggestion from a colleague. He notes in the book that figuring the problem of pain out started out as a duty, then quickly became an immense pleasure. Reading the book may give the reader the same progression of feelings. One may feel the urge to confront the deep question of pain and how that impacts one's faith is an obligation to be met grudgingly against one's will. However, while delving into the work, one will find it extremely pleasurable as the author reveals that there really isn't a problem of pain. The question eventually evolves from why, in a world created by a good and all-powerful God, is there pain and suffering to why, in some instances, is there a lack of pain.
  
  Lewis illustrates his resolution of this problem eloquently and sufficiently, though concisely. The book could be much longer and still not fulfill every but, though, or what if created by these major life concepts.
  
  I recommend "Mere Christianity" over this book, but suggest that this is a great supplement. While some ideas overlap, there is much to be learned by each book.
  ”

  J wrote this review Saturday, April 14 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 3 stars

  “Lewis writes with a very rigorous logic. This makes his books hard to work through, and can easily turn people off his works. However, he has a gift for apologetics, and it shines very clearly in this book. This book is one every Christian who struggles with pain and evil and the goodness of God should read. ”

  Joel L wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 3 stars

  “As much as I love C. S. Lewis, I thought that this book was hard to get through. It was very philosophical, although it still included good points; however, it took a lot to sit down in read. It was less than two hundred pages, but it took me way too long to read it.”

  Breanne S wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 5 stars

  “C.S. Lewis is a mastermind of both pychology and theology, and intertwines both beautifully in a crowning effort that forces the reader to think, regardless of their beliefs or philosophical interpretation.
  
  Lewis answers a big question in the minds of many..."If God is the almighty God that he is, then why does he allow us to suffer pain?"....and he answers it just as good as i think anyone could. He gives bibical and detailed proof of his arguement as well as provides a backdrop for a deeper understanding.
  
  An all around great piece of theology, which had me hooked and forcing me to ponder upon my comprehension of pain and its entities. Highly Recommended for everyone, well...at least 16 yrs old, for the philosophical value which I struggled but mainly understood.”

  Jared P wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 4 stars

  “http://www.skepticalchristian.com/br_problemofpain.htm”

  Kyle D wrote this review Monday, November 3 2008. ( reply | permalink )